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AT a GLANCE EDITORIAL BUSINESS SPORTS CLASSIFIEDS Hockey begins on Ice Sheet sec page 6 n V' Ilk fe I VOL 80 ISSUE 11 WEBER STATE UNIVERSITY WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2009 WWW.WSUSIGNP0ST.COM 11 Era n n O THE I i M M ( i Student senate plans to amend 1 0-year-old bylaws By Shauna Westergard news reporter I The Signpost For the last 10 years some student senate regulations have been stagnant. On Monday, members of the student senate addressed the possibility of a revamp and discussed specific issues for the 2009-2010 school year. "This isn't just a revision, this is an overhaul of the bylaws," said Chris Bentiey, associate Supreme Court Tustice. "That hasn't happened since the combination of student involvement and student government at least 10 years ago." The majority of changes in the rules happened because of Aaron Newman, the Weber State University Student Association advisor. "Aaron brought a lot of insight on what bylaws are and what they are not," said WSUSA President Tyler Lathem. "We realized that a lot of things that were in the bylaws didn't really need to be there." Currently, there are 47 pages of regulations and include 'housekeeping' duties that should not be a part of the bylaws, according to senate members. Bentley said when revisions are presented and voted on, the 47 pages will be narrowed down to only 12 pages. Bentley said rule changes are important because they "specify the major duties and responsibilities of the elected and appointed officials of student government and student involvement." In the past, before rules had changed, an exclusive piece of legislation was required to make any specific changes. However, now any senator will be able to make and vote for changes to the laws. For example, Bentley said if senators want to "amend the number of constituencies," they will be able to do this at the next meeting. This means that the senate can change regulations to include more positions; currently there are 20. Revision could also include f . r Members of student senate discuss policies during a meeting last semester in the Shepherd Union Building. a change determining which positions are recognized. Newsenator contracts have been drawn up this year as a result of revising the bylaws, which support the senate. Lathem explained how making new contracts allowed for better organization to the senate rather than including individual duties. "We moved a lot of things to the contract and left the bylaws to the running and ordering of senate," Lathem said. The Deliberative Democracy Project (DDP), presented by history professor Kathryn MacKay, was also discussed at the Senate meeting. After a successful project launch last year, DDP will continue on campus. The project is a national endeavor, with MacKay as chairwoman for WSU. DDP allows students to voice their thoughts and listen to others' opinions. Students take a survey before the discussion and then panelists are brought in to discuss a specific topic. Students have a forum with these panelists and then take a survey after the discussion. "We want a student body that See Revamping page 5 VSIP for faculty f At 0 PHOTO B BRYAN BUIttKHfcLD II It M'.NI'Obf Fran Zedney answers questions and directs Bridget Hog-gan. senior in elementary education, at the reference desk on the 2nd floor of the Stewart Library. Zedney is one of the 50 staff members who took part in the voluntary separation program from WSU last semester; she is back on an hourly basis due to understaffing. lo oi Eo Administration offers early retirement package for faculty By Spencer Garn news reporter I The Signpost After saving approximately $2.5 million by offering staff members the option of applying for separation from the school during the winter semester, Weber State University has now made a similar offer to faculty members. This offer marks another unprecedented step for the university as it adjusts to a budget that was cut by 17 percent or 12.2 million by the state legislature last February. Last year, WSU reduced employment by 90 people. Fifty of those people were staff members who applied for a separation program offered only to staff members. Positions were not filled by new hires. Those who took part in the program left with a payment equal to 25 percent of their annual pay, but a figure no less than $12,000. Positions were not filled by new hires. One of those 50 staff members came back to the University; however, this time Fran Zedney, referencegeneral information instructor at WSU, is working on an hourly basis. "I think it was a good option," Zedney said about the program. "It provided the university with some reduction in wages and it was nice to have the cash in hand." Even with the savings, "there is still work to do here on the WSU campus to reach that final 17 percent," said Norm Tarbox, vice president of administrative services. Reducing the funds allocated to faculty, who absorb 24 percent of the school's budget, or S27.8 million, should help. The Faculty Voluntary Separation Incentive Program (VSIP) was just See Stay page 5 n n Hwmnicf ndiy i r n OS Student creates business designed to help individuals with criminal records find employment around the nation By Gina Barker managing editor I The Signpost Felon-friendly employers might be hard to come by for convicts looking for work, but one Weber State student made up his mind that finding jobs for convicts was as easy as creating a Web site. Thefelonfriendly. com does just that; it helps convicts find a job. The creator of the Web site, Derek Mihlfeith, spent the last few months pulling together a Web site aimed at helping convicts find a job after serving their sentence. Like Monster.com, Mihlfeith's site offers employer and employee routes to find jobs friendly to those with a conviction on their record. Convicts can search by state for jobs. "What we're trying to do," Mihlfeith said, "is create a resource for people that have had convictions to find a job." Mihlfeith thought a Web site that could point convicts in the right direction might be useful, both to the convict and the community. Mihlfeith said the idea for starting the program came from someone he knew after hearing their frustrations. "I have a friend who recently got his record expunged," Mihlfeith said, "and during this time he was complaining about how hard it was to find a job with a conviction on his record. And so the idea was born, what if there was a job site out there that had jobs for people who had convictions on their records." For thefelonfriendly. com to succeed, Mihlfeith would need several more employers willing to support convicts by hiring them into their organizations. Bruce Bayley, a WSU professor for the department of criminal justice, commented on Mihlfeith's internet page and its potential success. "My personal opinion," Bayley said, "is that a (parole officer) could probably do a better job. In any case the P.O. is going to have to be made aware of it. They can't just go get a job on their own." A convict is any person who has been convicted in a court of law. Whether that individual serves time is dependent on sentencing, and some convicts may not receive jail time, but probation But for jail time, time instead, those serving upon release they must work with a parole officer (P.O.) that will help them Integrate into the community. " T he advantage the RO. has over this kind of site," Bayley said, "is that they are very aware of a convict's capabilities and restrictions. And they are better able to help them match a job that will fit their needs and their lifestyle better than a random Web site." Bayley added, "I think it's a real good effort. It never hurts to have " think it is a real good effort. - Bruce Bayley, professor of criminal justice another source of employment out there. Will it be better than the Department of Corrections? My gut instinct would say no, not at this point." The f elonfriendly. com just launched last week, and while employers continue to slowly trickle in, Mihlfeith said he is excited to see what the results will be. "Ideally what I'd like to see happen is someone who recently has gotten out of jail, find them a job, find theni an apartment, help them get a car, and help reestablish their credit and use that to create a success story." Comment on this story at wsusignpost.com. Vp'rome to the Felon Frtendry.com! We ire working as hartf as powlbte to a' )( poftiwJ Kp checking back. Ve npeti yoiif asntawe in pasting ob Wren yoj fgislc zj can po?t m"y oM w you'd lilt abtofutHy free! ; il you fcjio ywj cm rcetv up to a ifeu&O Ua credil fcr hiring a pnrs&'i vt(i convd on? ( -k-Mi ik ih;mir SAIZ jl S1

Public Domain. Courtesy of University Archives, Stewart Library, Weber State University.

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AT a GLANCE EDITORIAL BUSINESS SPORTS CLASSIFIEDS Hockey begins on Ice Sheet sec page 6 n V' Ilk fe I VOL 80 ISSUE 11 WEBER STATE UNIVERSITY WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2009 WWW.WSUSIGNP0ST.COM 11 Era n n O THE I i M M ( i Student senate plans to amend 1 0-year-old bylaws By Shauna Westergard news reporter I The Signpost For the last 10 years some student senate regulations have been stagnant. On Monday, members of the student senate addressed the possibility of a revamp and discussed specific issues for the 2009-2010 school year. "This isn't just a revision, this is an overhaul of the bylaws," said Chris Bentiey, associate Supreme Court Tustice. "That hasn't happened since the combination of student involvement and student government at least 10 years ago." The majority of changes in the rules happened because of Aaron Newman, the Weber State University Student Association advisor. "Aaron brought a lot of insight on what bylaws are and what they are not," said WSUSA President Tyler Lathem. "We realized that a lot of things that were in the bylaws didn't really need to be there." Currently, there are 47 pages of regulations and include 'housekeeping' duties that should not be a part of the bylaws, according to senate members. Bentley said when revisions are presented and voted on, the 47 pages will be narrowed down to only 12 pages. Bentley said rule changes are important because they "specify the major duties and responsibilities of the elected and appointed officials of student government and student involvement." In the past, before rules had changed, an exclusive piece of legislation was required to make any specific changes. However, now any senator will be able to make and vote for changes to the laws. For example, Bentley said if senators want to "amend the number of constituencies," they will be able to do this at the next meeting. This means that the senate can change regulations to include more positions; currently there are 20. Revision could also include f . r Members of student senate discuss policies during a meeting last semester in the Shepherd Union Building. a change determining which positions are recognized. Newsenator contracts have been drawn up this year as a result of revising the bylaws, which support the senate. Lathem explained how making new contracts allowed for better organization to the senate rather than including individual duties. "We moved a lot of things to the contract and left the bylaws to the running and ordering of senate," Lathem said. The Deliberative Democracy Project (DDP), presented by history professor Kathryn MacKay, was also discussed at the Senate meeting. After a successful project launch last year, DDP will continue on campus. The project is a national endeavor, with MacKay as chairwoman for WSU. DDP allows students to voice their thoughts and listen to others' opinions. Students take a survey before the discussion and then panelists are brought in to discuss a specific topic. Students have a forum with these panelists and then take a survey after the discussion. "We want a student body that See Revamping page 5 VSIP for faculty f At 0 PHOTO B BRYAN BUIttKHfcLD II It M'.NI'Obf Fran Zedney answers questions and directs Bridget Hog-gan. senior in elementary education, at the reference desk on the 2nd floor of the Stewart Library. Zedney is one of the 50 staff members who took part in the voluntary separation program from WSU last semester; she is back on an hourly basis due to understaffing. lo oi Eo Administration offers early retirement package for faculty By Spencer Garn news reporter I The Signpost After saving approximately $2.5 million by offering staff members the option of applying for separation from the school during the winter semester, Weber State University has now made a similar offer to faculty members. This offer marks another unprecedented step for the university as it adjusts to a budget that was cut by 17 percent or 12.2 million by the state legislature last February. Last year, WSU reduced employment by 90 people. Fifty of those people were staff members who applied for a separation program offered only to staff members. Positions were not filled by new hires. Those who took part in the program left with a payment equal to 25 percent of their annual pay, but a figure no less than $12,000. Positions were not filled by new hires. One of those 50 staff members came back to the University; however, this time Fran Zedney, referencegeneral information instructor at WSU, is working on an hourly basis. "I think it was a good option," Zedney said about the program. "It provided the university with some reduction in wages and it was nice to have the cash in hand." Even with the savings, "there is still work to do here on the WSU campus to reach that final 17 percent," said Norm Tarbox, vice president of administrative services. Reducing the funds allocated to faculty, who absorb 24 percent of the school's budget, or S27.8 million, should help. The Faculty Voluntary Separation Incentive Program (VSIP) was just See Stay page 5 n n Hwmnicf ndiy i r n OS Student creates business designed to help individuals with criminal records find employment around the nation By Gina Barker managing editor I The Signpost Felon-friendly employers might be hard to come by for convicts looking for work, but one Weber State student made up his mind that finding jobs for convicts was as easy as creating a Web site. Thefelonfriendly. com does just that; it helps convicts find a job. The creator of the Web site, Derek Mihlfeith, spent the last few months pulling together a Web site aimed at helping convicts find a job after serving their sentence. Like Monster.com, Mihlfeith's site offers employer and employee routes to find jobs friendly to those with a conviction on their record. Convicts can search by state for jobs. "What we're trying to do," Mihlfeith said, "is create a resource for people that have had convictions to find a job." Mihlfeith thought a Web site that could point convicts in the right direction might be useful, both to the convict and the community. Mihlfeith said the idea for starting the program came from someone he knew after hearing their frustrations. "I have a friend who recently got his record expunged," Mihlfeith said, "and during this time he was complaining about how hard it was to find a job with a conviction on his record. And so the idea was born, what if there was a job site out there that had jobs for people who had convictions on their records." For thefelonfriendly. com to succeed, Mihlfeith would need several more employers willing to support convicts by hiring them into their organizations. Bruce Bayley, a WSU professor for the department of criminal justice, commented on Mihlfeith's internet page and its potential success. "My personal opinion," Bayley said, "is that a (parole officer) could probably do a better job. In any case the P.O. is going to have to be made aware of it. They can't just go get a job on their own." A convict is any person who has been convicted in a court of law. Whether that individual serves time is dependent on sentencing, and some convicts may not receive jail time, but probation But for jail time, time instead, those serving upon release they must work with a parole officer (P.O.) that will help them Integrate into the community. " T he advantage the RO. has over this kind of site," Bayley said, "is that they are very aware of a convict's capabilities and restrictions. And they are better able to help them match a job that will fit their needs and their lifestyle better than a random Web site." Bayley added, "I think it's a real good effort. It never hurts to have " think it is a real good effort. - Bruce Bayley, professor of criminal justice another source of employment out there. Will it be better than the Department of Corrections? My gut instinct would say no, not at this point." The f elonfriendly. com just launched last week, and while employers continue to slowly trickle in, Mihlfeith said he is excited to see what the results will be. "Ideally what I'd like to see happen is someone who recently has gotten out of jail, find them a job, find theni an apartment, help them get a car, and help reestablish their credit and use that to create a success story." Comment on this story at wsusignpost.com. Vp'rome to the Felon Frtendry.com! We ire working as hartf as powlbte to a' )( poftiwJ Kp checking back. Ve npeti yoiif asntawe in pasting ob Wren yoj fgislc zj can po?t m"y oM w you'd lilt abtofutHy free! ; il you fcjio ywj cm rcetv up to a ifeu&O Ua credil fcr hiring a pnrs&'i vt(i convd on? ( -k-Mi ik ih;mir SAIZ jl S1